What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 4:3?

Your eyes have seen

– Moses reminds the second generation of Israelites that they were eyewitnesses to God’s past actions, not relying on hearsay (cf. Deuteronomy 11:2; Joshua 24:31).

– Personal experience is meant to anchor obedience; faith is reinforced by memory.

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what the LORD did

– The focus is on God’s decisive intervention, underscoring His active role in Israel’s history (Exodus 14:13; Psalm 105:1–5).

– His deeds serve both as deliverance for the faithful and judgment for the rebellious.

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at Baal-peor

– Refers to Numbers 25:1-9, where Israel yoked itself to Moabite idolatry and immorality, provoking divine wrath.

– The location becomes a cautionary landmark, much like Sodom or Ai (Hosea 9:10).

– It exposes the danger of blending worship of the true God with pagan practices.

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for the LORD your God destroyed from among you

– Judgment was swift and surgical: “Those who died in the plague numbered 24,000” (Numbers 25:9).

– God’s holiness ensures that sin within the covenant community cannot remain unaddressed (Joshua 7:12-13).

– The phrase underscores both covenant responsibility and divine faithfulness to purge evil (Deuteronomy 13:5).

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all who followed Baal of Peor

– “Followed” indicates deliberate allegiance; these individuals shifted loyalty from Yahweh to Baal (2 Chronicles 25:15).

– Baal worship included sexual rites and sacrifice, a direct violation of the first two commandments (Exodus 20:3-5).

– The complete removal of the guilty illustrates that idolatry destroys fellowship with God and jeopardizes the whole community (1 Corinthians 10:6-11).

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summary

Deuteronomy 4:3 recalls a recent, vivid example of God’s holiness and justice. By mentioning Baal-peor, Moses presses the lesson that covenant people must guard against idolatry; God rewards loyalty and eradicates rebellion. The verse stands as both a warning and a reassurance: the same LORD who judges sin also preserves the obedient.